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PUBLIC WORKS TO ADD MORE GENERAL SERVICES DISTRICTS CURBSIDE RECYCLING CUSTOMERS

Six-month success in Bellevue sparks expansion in three more neighborhoods

Bolstered by the more than 100 tons of recycling collected in a pilot curbside program in the Bellevue area, Metro is ready to expand recycling subscription services to more General Services District neighborhoods, Mayor Karl Dean announced today.

The program is being added in the following zip code areas of Davidson County: 37027 in Brentwood, 37013 in Antioch and Cane Ridge, 37076 in Hermitage, and 37138 in Old Hickory.

“A year ago we promised that if the pilot curbside recycling program in the GSD was successful, we would work to expand it to other areas,” Dean said. “Today we are fulfilling our promise and offering more residents the opportunity to reduce their waste. Waste reduction is a key goal set by my Green Ribbon Committee on Environmental Sustainability, and recycling is one of the easiest things our residents can do to help.”

Residents can sign up online at www.recyclenashville.com. For $10 a month and the one-time cost of a 96-gallon cart, Davidson County residents can receive monthly curbside pickup of paper, cardboard, all plastics Nos. 1-7, aluminum and metal cans, and glass. Back-door collection and more frequent pickups are also available for slightly higher fees.

Providing as many convenient recycling opportunities as possible is a key objective in Public Works’ strategy to manage waste in Metro, and reduce the amount of materials being sent to landfills.

“Every ton of recycled materials provides the city with much-needed revenue and also saves Metro the cost of landfill disposal fees, so taxpayers are the ultimate winners when it comes to recycling,” Public Works Director Billy Lynch said.

Voluntary curbside recycling is currently provided to approximately 120,000 households in the Urban Services District. Public Works also provides a network of 13 community recycling drop-off sites in Davidson County, including the Hermitage Hobby Lobby at the corner of Old Hickory Boulevard and Lebanon Pike, Dupont-Hadley Middle School in Old Hickory, and a Saturday-only site at Granbery Elementary School in Brentwood.

Public Works does not expect the curbside program to negatively impact the existing drop-off locations, and Lynch said the curbside subscription service is desperately needed in GSD areas of Brentwood and West Nashville to provide new options to residents who previously used the drop-offs at the Edmondson Pike and Charlotte Avenue locations.

“The Edmondson Pike center was rapidly gaining ground to become one of our most popular drop-offs, so it was a huge loss to the area when it closed in August,” Lynch said. “Our Charlotte Avenue center has changed locations twice in the last three months, and we believe some residents will like the consistency and convenience of curbside recycling.”

Making residential curbside recycling available countywide is possible through Public Works’ partnership with Earthsavers, a Nashville-based company that serves about 400 residential and business recycling customers in Metro, plus more than 700 households in Bellevue.

The Bellevue pilot was Metro’s first effort to expand curbside recycling in GSD neighborhoods, which are not eligible to participate in the Curby program provided by Public Works. Bellevue-area subscribers have recycled more than 200,000 pounds since collections began there in March, said Bobby Bandy of Earthsavers.

“Our service is also available for residents in condos, apartment complexes and Home Owner Associations, as well as all sizes of businesses, office complexes and retail shops, so the potential impact of this expansion is huge for Metro Government and our company,” Bandy said. “The most important thing, however, is to get as many people recycling as possible.”